The different names given to the prophet in Scripture throw light upon his
character and the nature of his work. He is described as a man of God implying
that he was more closely related to God than others and indicating also that
he was a man of righteous character. A second name is 'servant of Jehovah',
and this showed that the prophet was specially commissioned by God to discharge
certain duties for Him.

The type of service in which he was engaged is brought out in a third phrase:
'messenger of Jehovah.' His chief task was to convey messages from God to men.
His words were authoritative because they were uttered in the name of the Lord.
He is also called a 'seer', and this shows how the prophet received his message,
for he saw things to which other men were blind. But this is not to suggest
that the prophet was a wholly passive person, at the receiving end of everything,
for prayer was doubtless a frequent preparation for the prophetic revelation.The
tradition of prophets as such was well-established by the time Isaiah was born,
and he comes on the scene as a true man of God, who has received a revelation
and a commission from Jehovah, and comes to the people bringing a message from
Jehovah.

b) The Political Background to the Life and
Ministry of Isaiah

Isaiah was born during the reign of the good king Uzziah, and it was in the
last year of this monarch's life that he received the call to the prophetic
office. Uzziah's character was generally acknowledged to be very noble, and
in every way he showed a spirit of true piety and honour for the things of God,
although in his later years he suffered from leprosy, due to an act of great
pride. During his reign the nation as a whole enjoyed times of prosperity and
temporal development. The whole nation mourned his passing from the scene at
a time when his presence seemed needed the most. Under him the worship of Jehovah
was encouraged but he was not strong enough to secure the destruction of the
high places where idolatrous practices were continued. His reign must be ranked
as one of the outstanding of the southern kingdom.

After him his son Jothan came to the throne, who had already acted as regent
in the time of Uzziah's segregation. He walked in the ways of his father, and
under him the people continued to worship the Lord Jehovah after the manner
of the commandment, though still the places of idolatry were allowed to remain.
To the superficial view there might have appeared evidence of true and deep
devotion but in reality it was not so. On every side there was a rapid growth
of the spirit of luxury and indulgence, and in the midst of this it is not surprising
that the spirit of true piety was declining steadily. Following him, there arose
Ahaz, whose whole reign was one chronicle of disaster and destruction. With
an absolute abandon, Ahaz gave himself over to the overthrow of the ordained
order of worship, broke the commandment in almost every detail, destroyed the
temple worship and finally closed the doors of the house of God. In the most
calculated manner he conspired to obliterate the memory of the service of the
Lord of all Israel, the Redeemer and the Holy One. All that he did was as a
goad to the devout and outspoken Isaiah.

He came forth and publicly rebuked the king for his extravagances in religious
things, reproved him for his sin, and arraigned him before the people as an
enemy of the true way. But all this was to no avail, for his warnings and advice
were disregarded by the nation, led by the king himself. Then he was followed
on the throne by his son Hezekiah, who was very unlike his fathers and set about
reviving the worship in the temple, which his father had abolished. He attempted,
with some success to obliterate idol worship, and to deliver his people from
the yoke of foreign power. It was under him that Isaiah came into his own, and
was treated with high favour. In this position he was given every opportunity
for the use of his keen and divinely inspired power of discernment into the
facts of the contemporary situation. But now was the time when the nation's
folly was to be seen more patently, for now it was too late to institute reforms,
which could be effective. The overthrow of the nation which Isaiah had for so
long foretold was at hand, and nothing could delay it.

c) Isaiah the man

The name, Isaiah, means 'Jehovah saves,' or 'Jehovah is salvation', and through
days of crisis and disaster greater than any before in the history of the people,
his call was constantly to faith in the One Who alone could save the land. His
role was ever that of inspiring and challenging the drooping spirits of the
men of Judah at times when hope seemed dead. His ministry was a long one stretching
as it did through the reigns of Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz and Hezekiah. His father's
name was Amoz, and there is a Jewish tradition that he was a brother of King
Amaziah; in which case Isaiah would be the cousin of King Uzziah. Naturally
enough, it is impossible to be really sure of this, but it is certainly a reasonable
explanation of the fact that Isaiah enjoyed immediate and regular entrance to
the royal house. And also that he had the ear of the most influential people
of his day. In spite of this, he remained a simple and undaunted spokesman for
Jehovah, and tradition again affirms that it was for this reason that he was
put to death in the reign of the wicked Manasseh, Hezekiah's successor. He was
married and he himself called his wife 'the prophetess' (Isaiah 8:3). He had
two children, one named Shear-jashubl, which means 'a remnant shall return,'
and the other Maher-shalalhashbaz, which means 'haste ye to the spoil.' These
names were given to them as portents of what was to come and also as a reinforcement
of the prophet's predictive message.

Apart from this, there is little else known of his personal history except
what is found in the book itself. The exact length of his ministry is not known
for sure, but he definitely laboured for at least forty years. From the last
year of King Uzziah's reign 740 B.C. to the fourteenth year of ther reign of
King Hezekiah in 701 B.C. and it is clear that through all this period of time
his call and challenge were unremitting and persistent. His aim was ever definite
- the establishment of the worship of the Lord in righteousness and truth amongst
the chosen race.

His Message

Isaiah's prophecy, the longest of all the Old Testament prophecies divides
first of all quite naturally into two parts, chapters 1-39, and 40-66. Because
of this split, critics during the last century have seen fit to decide that
two separate authors are responsible for the prophecy and that the second one
was written some hundred years after the first one. Unfortunately, there is
nothing in the prophecy itself by the way of names and such like to establish
the truth or the falsehood of this statement. However the nature of the second
part of the book seems to indicate that it was said to a nation at a time when
they were in a completely different condition from that of the exile in Babylon,
during which time some people maintain that it was written. As well as these
two separate parts, the prophecy also divides into nine sections.

1)Chapters 1-12 Prophecies centred on Judah
and Jerusalem

This section contains, among other things, Isaiah's vision of the Lord in
the temple, and with this experience Isaiah was made aware of the aweful holiness
of God. This holiness is an ever-recurring theme in this section and indeed
in the whole of the book. Here Isaiah tells a sinful people who have forsaken
the Lord, in spite of all He has done for them in the past, that judgment will
come, and Judah will be ravaged. Yet he also introduces the theme of the remnant
which will be left, and which will dwell in holiness on Mount Zion. Through
the whole of the prophecy Isaiah proclaims the judgment of a holy God alongside
the mercy which He will show to His redeemed, who have lived according to His
statutes. This doctrine of the remnant is a characteristic of Old Testament
prophecy, and also of evangelical preaching. Another theme introduced in this
first section is that of the King Messiah, foremost among nations.

2)Prophecies against foreign and and hostile
nations

In this section, the prophet declares that doom awaits al1 the nations which
are in enmity with Jehovah and His chosen people. Babylon, Assyria, Philistia,
Moab, Ethiopia and Egypt, will all be overthrown, and their pride laid in the
dust. They will be subject to Judah, and will bring tribute to Sion.

3) Isaiah's Apocalypse: Judgments of Jehovah
against the World's Sin

Here we have prophecy which deals clearly with the end of the world. The prophet
declares that doom will fall on the whole world, from the hand of Jehovah, but
that in all the ruin and judgment of this time, His people will be secure, and
He will establish His Kingdom on Mount Zion. At this time, the vine of Israel,
which had been described in the first section as bringing forth bad fruits will
at last bring forth good fruit. All this is in accord with other prophecies
of the end time.

4)Prophecies concerning the relation of Judah
and Jerusalem to Egypt and Assyria (Chapters 28 to 33)

This part of the prophecy was written at the time of Hezekiah's reign, when
the southern kingdom was under threat of war from Assyria. Hezekiah, knowing
that the land was too weak in itself to meet the coming attack, contracted an
alliance with Egypt, through which Egypt would supply Judah with horsemen and
chariots. But this alliance was formed without any consideration of the fact
that they were the chosen nation of Jehovah, and that if they sought His aid
in battle, they needed to fear no foe, nor to ask aid of other powers. But the
nation had forgotten the great battles of the reign of David, and they made
a treaty with Egypt. Here the prophet shows how wrong this step was, for the
Egyptians will be no help to them at all. The section closes with an account
of the miraculous way in which the Lord delivered them from the hand of the
Assyrians, with no aid at all from the Egyptians, and of how conviction of sin
came upon the people at this demonstration of God's grace to them.

5) Prophecies proclaiming the doom of Edom and
the redemption of Israel (Chapters 34-35)

First of all, there is a description of how desolate Edom will become and how
it will be laid waste. Then in contrast to this picture of devastation, is the
joy of the redeemed when God's kingdom is established in Zion. Once more, we
have a picture of the ransomed few dwelling in Zion, enjoying the grace and
favour of the Lord.

In this section, there is an account of the Assyrian host before the walls
of Jerusalem, and how the Lord hears the prayer of Hezekiah and destroys many
of the Assyrians in one night, so that the rest of the army flees in terror.
After this, Hezekiah becomes ill, but prays for restoration, and the Lord grants
him the lengthening by fifteen years, of his life. Hezekiah receives on friendly
terms the envoys of the land of Babylon, and shows them all he has, and Isaiah
is inspired at this time to prophecy that at some time in the future all the
king's household and his land will be the possession of the people of Babylon.
Now begins the second division of the prophecy, which some maintain was written
at the time of the exile in Babylon, and deals with deliverance from bondage.
Some state to be a continuation of the first part of the book, and a word of
predictive prophecy, dealing in part with the deliverance from bondage, and
in part with the end of the world.

7) Deliverance from the Dominion of Babylon.
(Chapters 40-48)

In this section, among other things, the overthrow of Babylon by Cyrus is introduced.
He is shown as the chosen instrument of God in the overthrow o f the land of
Babylon, and in the restoration of the people of Judah to their land. Outstanding
in this section is Jehovah's great mercy, for He will redeem His people in spite
of their sin. Yet alongside Cyrus, who is the appointed instrument of the One
whom He will use to accomplish His will at one specific stage of history, another
greater figure appears. In all, the second part of the prophecy contains four
distinct passages which in commentaries are called the 'Servant' passages, and
are clearly to do with a Person of far more lasting significance than Cyrus.
The first of these passages is 42:1-9, and in these verses we see a foreshadowing
of the Lord Jesus Christ.

8) Redemption through suffering and sacrifice
(Chapters 49-57)

This section contains the other three 'Servant' passages, and through it all
there are two mighty themes - the Servant of the Lord, and the glorious future
awaiting Israel. In the second 'Servant' passage chapter 49:1-9, His commission
and task are set forth - namely, to restore Israel, and to be the salvation
to the ends of the earth, in spite of the fact that He has suffered rejection.
Kings and rulers will realise that He is the Chosen One and then salvation and
restoration will be secured for Zion. In the third chapter 50: 4-9, the Servant
begins to speak of His suffering and it is clear that there is perfect agreement
between Him and Jehovah. The fourth and last begins at Chapter 52:13 and continues
into the wellknown narrative of the sufferings and ultimate glory awaiting the
Servant, as He fulfils the will of God.

In the rest of the section, the most outstanding theme is the glory awaiting
Israel when the King Messiah comes into His own. There is an appeal to the people,
in view of all the glorious salvation which the Lord offers them, to turn from
their sin, and to look to Him.

9) The Triumph and the Universal Dominion of
Jehovah (Chapters 58-66)

Here the prophet once more declares that sin is a barrier to the divine purposes,
and calls his fellow-countrymen to repent, for the Lord will indeed deliver
and redeem His people. Here again, is the picture of the glory of Zion, which
the Lord will impart to the righteous remnant of His People, and then the land,
which has long been forsaken and desolate will no longer be so. At this time
evil will be cast out and destroyed, and God's glory announced throughout the
world,. In this section I should like to draw your attention in particular to
chapter 63: 1-6, where the prophet gives a wonderful description of the Saviour
coming back from the destruction of His enemies, having trodden the wine press
alone.This is a marvellous prophecy of the work of salvation of the Lord Jesus
Christ in particularly fine and stirring language.

Indeed, one of the most outstanding features of the whole prophecy is the
way in which the figure of the Holy One the Redeemer of Israel stands out far
above everyone else.His holiness is established in the fine passage in chapter
6, where the seraphim called 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts',
and to the Hebrew mind this treble repetition of the word holy reinforced it
to the highest degree possible.Here we see that holiness is the central essential
divine characteristic. This holy God demands righteousness in the men he has
made, and above all in the people He has chosen from among all the nations to
be His own possession. But He does not find righteousness, and He will in consequence
bring the whole earth to judgment. This is grim news, but it is not a grim note
which pervades the whole book, on the contrary. From all the prophecies of the
Lord's dealings with His people a Figure emerges who is clearly a foreshadowing
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the King of Judah Who will come forth from the
stump of Jesse, 'a root from the dry ground.' Who will rule in righteousness
and bring peace to the earth. He is the Servant, Whom we see suffering in chapter
53 for the sin of the people and Who is to see of the travail of His soul and
be satisfied.

Isaiah has been described as the evangelical prophet and this
title is fully justified, for the message which he preached is the one which
we preach, and which we find in the New Testament. Our God is indeed a righteous
holy God, and He tells His people' to be Holy as I am holy,' to put on that
righteousness without which no man shall see God. But He is not a harsh taskmaster,
asking us to do something impossible, for he knows full well that in our sinful,
unregenerate state we cannot possibly do this of ourselves. So at great cost
to Himself, He has provided a way - "the righteous One, My Servant shall
make many to be accounted righteous and He shall bear their iniquities."
The Lord Jesus Christ bore our sins on the tree so that we might be reconciled
to God. The price was paid and His righteousness imputed to us.